The first step in hanging a picture semi-permanently against a wall is to determine the desired height and horizontal position of the picture. Typically, a person must hold the picture against a wall and have a second person standing at a distance from the wall in order to determine the desired height and horizontal position. For the first person to be able to view the picture against the wall in the proposed position, the second person must take the first person's place as picture holder, thereby allowing the first person to back away from the wall and view the position of the picture.
Such an exercise does not address potential difficulty in locating the proper position for a hanger for the picture. For example, one type of picture hanger includes a wire strung across the back of the picture longitudinally and attached to opposite sides such that it catches a hook or wall hanger when positioned properly against the wall. Simply determining the desired position of the picture against the wall does not provide the position to place the wall hanger in the wall such that the picture will hang at the desired position. The picture, when held against the wall, impedes the person from determining where the wall hanger should be positioned.
Aligning pictures is especially difficult in the context of collages or other conglomerate design arrangements involving multiple pictures and/or other decorations. In such arrangements, slightly improperly aligned pictures and/or other decorations stand out to the observer potentially to a greater extent than slightly improperly aligned pictures and/or other decorations occupying an otherwise empty wall. The slightest mistake in positioning the wall hanger or other hanging means results in a skewed overall impression of the arrangement.
Thus, a picture hanging apparatus configured for use by one person, without the necessity of a second person, is needed. The ideal picture hanging apparatus allows the user temporarily to position the picture in the desired location easily in both the vertical and horizontal directions such that the user may back away from the picture hanging apparatus and the picture hanging against the wall in order to determine whether the position of the picture needs adjustment. The picture hanging apparatus provides for easy repositioning if necessary until the desired position is achieved. Finally, the picture hanging apparatus allows the user to attach the wall hanger or other hanging means into the wall at a position such that the picture will hang in the desired position when hanging on the attached wall hanger.